This was taken end of November in early morning light that just happen to hit this Glossy Ibis in just the right area, and lit it up better than I've ever seen before. I knew it was good (except for the ugly color of the water) of the Ibis, but did not think about it again until I pulled it up in LR. I was surprised at how much of the colored really showed well!
For those who don't know the bird, it looks like a dark brown Ibis, until it has light at very specific angles, like this one.
Processing was getting rid of "junk", as in vegetation with erase tool in PS, noise reduction, darkening the background and balancing the shadows and highlights to my satisfaction.
Sony A1 with 300mm lens and 1.4 teleconverter at 420mm
1/1600
F/4.0
ISO 200
8 comments posted
Leslie Larson
Unbelievable iridescent colors. Lovely! We get white-faced ones here, but not quite as bright. Water looks fine to me. Whatever you did, it's a great and lucky shot. Posted: 12/09/2024 04:02:54
Gwen Callas-Miller
Beautiful lighting and capture. No issues with the background as it complements the bold colors. Only minor suggestion might be to crop on the right a bit so that the Ibis is less centered and has room to look to its left. Posted: 12/09/2024 18:36:37
Sherry Icardi
Good Point...Will do! Posted: 12/09/2024 19:30:41
Sarita Yeola
Sherry, Wow gorgeous colors captured on the Glossy Ibis. Now I get it what you meant by you don't like to photograph the Glossy Ibises in cloudy conditions (when we met it was cloudy). Beautiful! Posted: 12/11/2024 17:24:43
Sherry Icardi
That is exactly what I was thinking when I told you. It makes a great deal of difference. Posted: 12/17/2024 22:09:23
Judy Haran
Yes, amazing colors. Its all about light refraction and light angles. I've never seen the greens on the underneath like this.
I've gotten glossies in late afternoon sun and they appear orange and gold. Maybe that's nature's way of camouflaging them from predators. Posted: 12/12/2024 20:47:16
Sherry Icardi
Judy, this is the only time I've seen the green as well. I'm wondering if it was specific to this one. when I took the image I thought it was a little unusual, and when I increased the exposure on the shadows it popped ....and I really think there was light reflection from the water on the underside of the bird to cause it to pop. And if you look there is a small circle of sunlight right under it.....I think it was just a unique moment for sure! Posted: 12/17/2024 22:14:09
John Stumbos
What a gorgeous looking creature, Sherry. You really captured this species' plumage very well. Do you know whether it's a male or a female? Nice job in post making it stand out. I think a good crop would make it stand out even more. Maybe even experiment with a square aspect ratio? Just a thought. Posted: 12/19/2024 22:08:04
